滚动
gǔn dòng · HSK 7
to roll
🎳 滚 roll + 动 move = rolling motion; scrolling a screen is text that rolls and moves
滚 (gǔn) is to roll, 动 (dòng) is to move. Together literally roll-move: a ball rolling, a list scrolling, a loop running over and over, or an economy progressively expanding.
滚 — water 氵 + 衮 (gǔn, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning 'rolling/gushing water,' while 衮 (gǔn, a ceremonial dragon robe) supplies the sound. Originally it described water boiling or surging, later extended to anything rolling, and as a verb 'get out!'
动 — force 力 + heavy/重 (simplified from 動)
The traditional form 動 combines 重 (heavy) as the phonetic with 力 (force/strength) as the semantic, suggesting the effort needed to move something heavy. The simplified form 动 replaces 重 with 云, keeping 力 to convey action and motion.